Category Archives: Fussy Cutting

Graphic 45 Fun With Penny’s Paper Doll Family

Fun with Penny’s Paper Doll Family from Graphic 45

Hello, G45er’s! When I was a little girl, I loved to play with paper dolls. I spent hours stuck in bed due to childhood illnesses. Playing with paper dolls helped to fill many a long day. So when Graphic 45 released their gorgeous Penny’s Paper Doll Family collection this summer, it was love at first sight for me.

While creating with this beautiful vintage collection, I found I had not lost my childhood love for paper dolls. There’s just something magical about fussy cutting these handsome paper dolls and their matching outfits and accouterments! So today I have 2 fun cards made with Penny’s Paper Doll Family to share with you.

Flowers from the Same Garden: Penny’s Paper Doll Family card with Pockets

Card makers will just fall in love with this amazing collection because it is loaded with gorgeous patterns, beautiful images and sentiment panels that are perfect for family cards. This 5″ x 7″ top fold card was so much fun to make. The patterns remind me of the wallpaper in my childhood bedroom.

I love the sentiment panels in Graphic 45’s Penny’s Paper Doll Family. Not only do they look like vintage embroidery panels, they also make for very quick and easy card design! Add a border strip, die cut doilies, a large banner layer, vintage buttons and flowers and you have a charming vintage style greeting card in no time!

Tips

To add depth and dimension to this simple card design, I double matted each card layer. This keeps the layers from getting muddled. It also gives the focal image on the card the appearance of having been framed.
Cut doilies in half to get more mileage out of them. I tucked half a doily above and below the focal image.
Create a custom doily by adding designer paper to the solid center. To do this, I lay my doily on top of the paper, traced around the inner edge of the doily, then cut the circle out with scissors.

Supply List for Flowers from the Same Garden Card

Penny’s Paper Doll Family Collection

Penny’s Paper Doll Family
Beyond Borders
Sweet Sister
Garden Path

Other Supplies:

Kraft and Brick Red Cardstock
Petaloo Briar Roses
Burlap String, Red Taffeta Ribbon
Vintage Buttons from my Stash
Die cut doilies

Happy Family Bendi Card

Penny’s Paper Doll Family is the perfect collection to use in a fun Bendi Card design. This card design can double as table decor at a birthday party, baby shower, tea party or housewarming. You can learn how to make a Bendi card HERE. The collection I used is different, but the steps and measurements are the same.

TIPS

When it comes to fussy cutting, there are several little tips that can make the job easier:
1. First, make sure you have a really sharp pair of small scissors. I like to use Tim Holtz’s Tonic mini snips.
2. Don’t try to cut a small image from a huge piece of paper. Instead , remove the image by cutting well around it. Then do your fussy cutting. Having less bulk around the image makes it much easier to get a clean cut.
3. When cutting an image that has small parts, like the stems of flowers or hands and feet, I cut the small parts last. This way, I’m less likely to accidentally snip them off.
4. Don’t make chopping motions with your scissors. Hold the blades steady and glide them against the paper. You can practice this skill on magazine images.
To create extra dimension in this Bendi card, I backed the paper doll family with cardboard from packing boxes. I find that Priority Mail boxes are about the right thickness. The cardboard also strengthens the images and helps prevent tearing.

Happy Family Bendi Card Supply List

Penny’s Paper Doll Family Collection

Penny’s Paper Doll Family
Sweet Sister
Mothers and Daughters
Color Your World
Garden Path
Beyond Borders

Other Supplies:

Brick Red Cardstock
Scoring Tool, Ruler, Craft Knife
Petaloo Flowers
Burlap String
Fussy Cutting Scissors, Hot Glue Gun

I hope this post has brought back some of your happy childhood memories and inspired you to break out your Graphic 45 paper pretties and get your craft on.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Masculine Pocket Card with Graphic 45 Good Old Sport

Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge: Masculine Pocket Card with Graphic 45 Good Old Sport

Hello, Friends! How can it already be June? But here we are, the first Friday in June and that means it’s time for a fabby new challenge at Really Reasonable Ribbon. Bonnie has dared us to create a masculine card with ribbon or trim. So I dug into my Graphic 45 Good Old Sport and Typography papers to put together this masculine pocket card.

These clean simple lines and bold colors are perfect for this challenge. I created a belly band on my striped background paper by layering antique gold netting with some of the border stickers from the collection.

Next, I fussy cut images from the 12 x 12 Good Old Sport papers and used foam dimensionals to place them on top of a journal card from the Typography collection.

This chipboard piece fit right in between my golfer and rugby player, which is a great way to lead the eye from one image to the next. I topped the tag with a bit of Red Canvas Color Band Ribbon and some Natural Burlap String for a pop of color and added texture. I also used the burlap string to attach my sentiment charm to that sparkly red clothespin.

The party really gets started once you open this masculine pocket card because it has not ONE but TWO great pockets on the inside! (Go big or go home, right?) The pocket on the left contains a tag that I made with the 8×8 papers, a sticker and some little banner pieces. The pocket on the right contains postcards from the 12×12 collection. I love the little baseball/ribbon embellie that I hung from a red paper clip. ( I scrap lifted this idea from my BOLB Ginny Nemchak. She’s a clever girl, that one!)

I left this masculine pocket card sort of sentiment neutral. It could be used for Father’s Day, graduation, birthdays, a congrats card or even a card to cheer on a fella who is going through a rough patch. There’s plenty of room to write a personal sentiment or mount photos on the postcards. The tag can be used as a bookmark or decoration in a work cubicle or desk space. And, there’s plenty of room to tuck a gift card or small treat into either pocket of this masculine pocket card.

Now it’s your turn! Start out by visiting the Really Reasonable Ribbon BLOG so you can get all inspired by the other designer projects there. Then work up your own masculine project using ribbon or trim and link it up. You’ll find all the details on the RRR Blog. I’ll be popping by to take a peek at your fabby projects soon. I can’t wait to see what you make!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Thankful Card and Tutorial

Heartfelt Creations Alumni Blog Hop October 2015

Hello, Friends! It’s time for another fabulous blog hop with the Heartfelt Creations Alumni Team. You should be coming here from the beautiful blog that belongs to Sarah Miller. If so, you are right on track. To start at the beginning of this hop (and why wouldn’t you….this alumni team is awesome!) go to Vicki Dutcher’s fabulous blog. Be sure to visit each blog on the hop, and leave some sweet comments behind, because one lucky person will be chosen from one of the stops along the way and they will receive a $25 gift card to Heartfelt Creations. The winner will be announced on our blogs on Saturday, October 31st at noon, just in time for Trick or Treat!

We are enjoying the most gorgeous fall weather here in North Carolina. The sky is crystal blue, the weather is just cool enough to be invigorating and the fall colors put a song of praise on my lips. I was inspired by the season to create this Thankful Card and Tutorial using the Classic Editions Paper Collection and the Delicate Asters Stamps and Dies. These are “oldies but goodies” in my Heartfelt Creations Stash. I used quite a few techniques in this card, and I’ll share them with you in the tutorial below. But I wanted to show you a close up of those amazing pumpkins and asters first.

I love doing these asters in rich fall colors. Filling the center with Czech beads adds an extra layer of glitz and glam.

The inside of the card is decorated with papers from the Classic Editions collection. I confess a weakness for pumpkins. I love driving by a field of lazy pumpkins, snoozing away with their bellies baking in the sunshine. It just makes me happy!

This is part of a beautiful poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I just hand wrote it onto one of the journaling tags from the collection. Here’s a link to the complete poem, just in case you’d like to read it. It’s my favorite Thanksgiving poem.

I’ve posted my Thankful Card tutorial below for your convenience. And now you will need to hop on over to visit the always amazing artwork of Amy Doria. I know she will have something special to inspire your creativity today.

If you would like to purchase this card, it is available in my ETSY shop.

Thanks for hopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Thankful Card and Tutorial

Materials

Classic Editions Paper Collection (Retired…but maybe you have it in your stash.)
Delicate Asters Cling Stamps
Delicate Asters Die
Deluxe Flower Shaping Kit
White Cardstock
Versamark Embossing Ink Pad
Colorbox Chalk Ink Pumpkin Spice, Harvest, Guacamole, Burnt Sienna
Tim Holtz Alphaparts
Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint
Gold Embossing Powder
Ripe Persimmon Distress Stain
Brown Micro Gingham Ribbon
Burlap String
Art Institute Dries Clear Glue
buttons
sewing machine
7″ x 5″ kraft card base
gold glimmer mist

Cut a 6.75″ x 4.75″ rectangle of the harvest stripe paper. Stitch around the edges and along the lines as seen on the card, if desired.
Fussy cut both sets of pumpkins from the paper collection.
Use the Colorbox Chalk Inks and a sponge dauber to add more color to the surface of the pumpkins, blending as you go.
Spray the pumpkins lightly with water and gently round out the edges with the largest nib from the flower shaping kit.
Spritz lightly with Gold Glimmer Mist. Set aside to dry.
Use Versamark to stamp three sets of Delicate Asters and 2 sets of leaves. Heat Emboss with Gold embossing powder.
Sponge chalk inks onto the stamped flowers, blending as you go. Die cut, shape, stack and fill with Topaz Copper Lined Czech beads. Spritz with Gold mist. Set aside to dry.
Place one set of the fussy cut pumpkins behind the other, staggering them as seen in the photo. Glue one set onto the striped paper.
Create added dimension in the other set of pumpkins by crumpling up a small ball of tissue paper and gluing it to the back of the pumpkin. Apply Art Institute Glue to the edges of the pumpkin and glue just the edges onto the striped paper.
Use a hot glue gun to place the leaves and flowrs.
Glue the letters onto the card.
Create a multi loop bow from Brown Micro Gingham. Place a glob of hot glue under the aster leaf and use the point of a scissor or dowel to push the center of the ribbon into the glue. Use the same technique to create a loopy bow from burlap string.
Tuck autumn colored buttons in amongst the pumpkins and leaves.
Mix a few drops of Ripe Persimmon Distress Stain in with Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint and use this to paint the flower petals and leaves. Brush onto the surface of the pumpkins as well. I brushed a little onto the letters, too. Set aside to dry.
Finish the inside of the card as shown.

Artisan Style Shadowbox for RRR

“Orange You Glad It’s Autumn Challenge” Artisan Style Shadowbox

Hello, Friends!

It’s time for another great challenge at Really Reasonable Ribbon. The theme this time around is “Orange You Glad It’s Autumn?” and you can make any kind of project you like as long as it features orange in some way with ribbon or trim. You can get all the details on the RRR BLOG. I chose to go “off the page” and make an Artisan Style Shadow Box using Graphic 45 papers and an 8″ x 8″ matchbox.

This was a challenging project for me, but I really enjoyed the process! I layered and matted background papers from Graphic 45’s Artisan Style paper collection using foam dots to create loads of dimension. Then I began to build my scene on the inside, using lots of flowers, fussy cut peacocks, die cut vines, real peacock feathers, altered resin embellies and incredibly GORGEOUS Vermilion Hand-Dyed Silk Ribbon from RRR.

This close-up shot shows all the layers and layers of Petaloo Darjeelling Flowers, Spanish Moss and dainty Mulberry Sweetheart Blossoms in two-tone orange, peach and brown. I love these little guys…they are so often the perfect pop of color on a project, and they come in a rainbow of hues.

I fussy cut the door image from the 12×12 paper collection, using my craft knife to cut the door open. I painted the doors with Glossy accents to strengthen them, and added additional GA to the windows to give them a glassy finish. Turquoise brad “door knobs” were inserted and the opening was backed with a sentiment panel from the paper collection. (Photo below.) Next, I fussy cut another pair of these incredible peacocks. These were layered over the first pair to add even more dimension. Dabbing them here and there with Diamond Stickles added amazing sparkle and shine.

I love this sentiment! I painted a chipboard sentiment to go over the lintel, and then flanked the door with a Prima Shabby Chic resin piece and a Kaisercraft wood bird cage that I altered with paint. The dragonfly charm just seemed to fit as this collection features them in many of the prints.

Altering this lamp post was really fun! It was chalk white to start with. So I painted it first with a layer of DecoArt Copper Dazzling Metallics Paint. When that had dried, Black Soot Distress Paint was swiped across the surface, left to dry for a couple of minutes and then rubbed away with a paper towel. Then, I tapped it randomly with Ranger Verdigris Patina to give it that aged copper look. The lamp panels were filled with Glossy Accents.

The chipboard sentiment fit perfectly next to the lamp post, but didn’t “pop” until I added that little snippet of Vermilion Silk Ribbon and another sweetheart blossom. I tucked a little wooden protractor behind it, too. Three jade stones were also added in the upper left hand corner.

Let’s talk about these vines! For some reason, the whole time I was working on this piece I kept thinking about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. That’s why I chose to drape these Bella Rose Leaves all along the top and sides of the shadowbox. After they were stamped, die cut and shaped, I painted each leaf with Glossy Accents. I love how they turned out.

The top of the box has a double layer of a Kaisercraft wood flourish that was painted with Black Soot Distress Paint and glued down. They I went to work on my multi-layered, multi-loop bow tied with Vermillion Hand Dyed silk and tied with my Zutter Bow it All. I topped this with a flaming yellow Trellis Rose that was sponged with shades of brown and orange distress ink. It sits like a fiery crown atop this creation.

Now it’s your turn! Link your “Orange You Glad It’s Autumn” project up on the RRR BLOG. You’ll find all the details and submission dates there.

I’m also linking up this Artisan Style Shadow Box to the Frilly and Funkie Challenge “Stamps be Gone.” No stamps were used in the creation of this shadowbox, and you can find a great deal on these Graphic 45 papers at the Funkie Junkie Boutique.

And, if you’d like to purchase this Artisan Style Shadowbox, you can find it in my ETSY Shop.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Crafty Secrets April 2015 Linky Party

Crafty Secrets and Really Reasonable Ribbon: A Perfect Match!

NOTE: If you are looking for my April Blog Candy Event, please scroll down! Thanks!

Welcome to the Crafty Secrets April 2015 Linky Party! We are excited to be partnering with Really Reasonable Ribbon in this fun cross-promotional event that we are calling “Anything Goes with Ribbon.”

Really Reasonable Ribbon sponsored the Crafty Secrets Design team this month, giving us the beautiful April Ribbon Club Collection of Ribbons to add to our projects.

I chose to alter a little shadowbox tray for my project, and I have a tutorial showing you how to make the little banner, too.

I worked with one of the darling Solo Trays from Canvas Corp Brands. These measure about 6″ square. I printed the Happy Thoughts paper from the Vintage Typography CD to 8″ square and trimmed the top portion with the sentiment to fit inside the largest box of the tray. That’s one of the big benefits of working with digital…being able to print out a paper that fits the size of your project! I fussy cut the bird from the paper, inked the edges with Vintage photo and layered him on top of the background with a double row of foam dots.

Inside the top portion, I cut squares from the Birds and Blossoms Creative Scraps to fit, and then layered some little stickers on top of them. This is easy, right? Next, I ran 1/4″ Scor-Tape all around the top edge of my tray. Then I added the gorgeous Roses with Scalloped Edge Aqua Ribbon on top of that layer. It was the exact shade of aqua to work with all my papers, now isn’t that nice?

Next, Spanish Moss was glued in place, then a whole host of pretty Prima and Petaloo flowers followed. I added in a pretty little Prima bird nest that I found in my stash, and a piece of star anise, too. I love the shape and texture that added to the mix. A couple of stamps from Birds and Blossoms, and a tiny little pocket watch were added to the mix. I topped it all off with a gorgeous bow tied with Light Coral Satin Ribbon. I just love these spring colors…they make me think of sherbet…and that is a good thing!

I was pretty happy with this creation, but I felt it needed just a little finishing touch. So I decided to make a banner. I printed off an 8″ square piece of the beautiful Rose Diamonds Paper and in no time flat, I had a banner for my altered tray. Here’s how I made it!

Print off the paper sized at 8″ square.

Cut out the individual diamond shapes and ink the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Fold each diamond shape in half to form a triangle. Twist two strands of Natural Jute String together. Fold in half and tie a knot on each end. You want it to match the width of your tray when you are finished.

Lay the triangles over the prepared twine so that you can glue the triangle tips shut. Then hot glue onto the sides of your tray, or card or layout…whatever you are making! Easy, Right?

Crafty Secrets shared some awesome goodies with the design team at RRR, and they will be featuring those projects on the Really Reasonable Ribbon BLOG from April 3rd through April 11th, so you will want to pop over for even more inspiration from the RRR Design team.

To play along, simply create any project that features Crafty Secrets products and add ribbon or trim to your project. You do not have to use Really Reasonable Ribbon to play along, any ribbon or trim will do.

To thank you for playing along, we have selected a pretty digital paper and a fun seasonal image that you can download.. You may use this on your project if you wish, or save it for another day. You may link any project you like, however if you wish to be eligible for this month’s prize package, you must feature Crafty Secrets products in your project.

Crafty Secrets Birds and Blossoms Digital Creative Scraps

Paper from Crafty Secrets Birds and Blooms Digital Paper Collection

This month’s lucky winner will receive a $25 gift certificate for any DIGITAL products in our online store! You can choose from our Digital Art Stamps, digital paper packs, digital printable sheets or digital Creative Scraps and fill your shopping cart to the brim with wonderful digital vintage goodies from Crafty Secrets!
Link your “Anything Goes with Ribbon” project to the Crafty Secrets BLOG no later than midnight PT on Sunday, April 19th. I’ll be hopping by to take a peek at your beautiful creations and leave a nice comment on your blog. On Wednesday, April 22nd, the winner of this month’s prize package will be announced on the Crafty Secrets Blog.

Now, go visit the rest of the amazing Crafty Secrets Design team, and prepare to be inspired!

Kathy Clement, DT Leader ( You are here)
Darlene Pavlick: Dar’s Crafty Creations
Diane Hover: Nellie’s Nest
Elizabeth Lincoln: Paper Passtimes
Ginny Nemchak: Polly’s Paper
Gloria Stengel: Scraps of Life
Melody Clement: Paper Melody’s
Michele Kovack: Thoughts of a Cardmaking Scrapbooker
Shantaie Fowler: Inking Pink
Sheila Rumney: Sheila Rumney Design and Photography

Don’t forget to visit the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog for more inspiration! They also have a great challenge going on right now, so you might as well play there, too! I can’t wait to see what you make!

Kathy by Design

Handcrafted Paper Art for All Occasions

Category Archives: Fussy Cutting